A Love Rekindled
by princessOFdarkeness
Summary: The sequel to 'A Light Inside'. It tell what happens when Riku and Jessica find each other in The World That Never was, what happens after the last battle, and how they act when they go back to Destiny Islands.
1. Love And Death

I can't tell you how much fun I had writting this! I do intent to add more chapters to it, so don't yell at me for the ending, becuase it is a cliffhanger, I know!

I don't own any Kindgom Heart 2 charactors, as I said in my other story.

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A Love Rekindled

By: princessOFdarkness

The World That Never Was. The castle they sought was as far away from where they stood as were close to their hearts the people the came in search of. Sora, Donald, Goofy and the King stood silent, looking up at the strange city before them, the haunting castle, and the pale moon that was Kingdom Hearts. Sora had come in search of Kairi, the one he loved more than anything else in the world, or anyone else for that matter. His love for her ran deep, deep as the painful wounds still fresh from their last time spend together that had been cut suddenly short. Sora knew she was here, and he was going to do anything he had to to find her, just as he knew the person standing just behind him n the shadows would do anything for Riku.

"Is that the place then?" Donald asked, timidly. The castle was reflected double in his large lamplike eyes, sending a chill down Sora's spine when her looked at him. Sora nodded, gripping his keyblade that much tighter in his hand.

"Then let's get going. Let's finish this already, I can't wait much longer to have the one I love back again." The girl said, stepping out of the shadows at last, coming to stand next to Sora and the others, her long graceful black and silver keyblade in her right hand. The long hair brunette's face was set, a determined look in her deep chocolate eyes. Sora was worried, she tended to do excentric and desperate things when she had that look in her eyes, and she had it now. She had changed so much from who she had been back on the island. At one time she had been completly innocent to the fact that the outside world was cruel and barbaric. Quiet, graceful, and kind to everyone, she had lived a quiet life on the island, doing nothing but reading, drawing, writting, and swimming to her hearts content. That is, until she had let Riku, the only friend she had had at the time, take her with him to the beach to meet everyone. He had brought her out of her shell, so that they could see who she truely was. She had only spoken to Riku up until the day her took her to the beach, because she was shy and didn't think anyone but Riku would like her, prefering to stay in Riku's backyard with him, never going to the beach or ice cream shop. She had become friends with everyone upon meeting them, so wonderful she was to them. Now she had a darker side, a fighting side as did he, a side that understood pain and how to take care of it's self through the pain. She was still herself, but now she had grown up a little in a way Sora had wished uon setting out on this journey she wouldn't have to. Sora had grown it respect to it to, but he wished he could take it back, though he knew he never could.

"Come on!" Jessica said, running past Sora and the others, out into the city itself. The ran after her, unable to catch her or keep up with her pace. Jessica had always been a faster runner than even Riku, winning all the races she compeated in back on the island. She didn't compeat much, but when she did, even Riku was left biting her dust. Jessica ran as far as she coulsd go, stopping suddenly on the edge of the canyon before her. Looking up at the castle, she realized with a pang somewhere deep in her heart that there was no way up to the castle. Jessica sighed, sitting down on the edge of the cliff face, staring down into the never ending gap below her feet. A shadow pasted over her, and she jumped up, spinning around to face the man standing behind her.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy had fought their way to the castle and inside of it, having been unsucessful in their attampt to find Jessica. Sora had been dumbfounded that she would just disappear, when they were so close to finding Kairi and Riku. Jessica loved Riku with all her heart, so why would she leave willingly when she was so close to where he was?

"Sora, look up there! It's Kairi!" Goofy said suddenly, pointing up to one of the balconies aboce them. Sora smiled, for there indeed was his Kairi, fighting alongside someone Sora had thought he would never see again. Ansem, the one who had caused all the problems in the first place, leaving himself and the others with him to clean p the mess he had started. It confused Sora that Kairi would fight along with Ansem, since he had almost killed her and all, but Sora was just happy to see her and see she was okay.

Sora, Donald and Goofy fought hard, everything they had learned being an asset to their cause. Upon winning the battle, Sora ran to Kairi, nearly faintinf when she actually hugged him and held him cose to her. Sora only wished he would get to see Jessica this happy one day with Riku. Ansem had stood watching as Sora and Kairi held each other and talked, but after a moment of pained silence, he turned to slip back into darkness. Then Kairi said something Sora would never forget...

"We'll get you back to normal Riku, I promise!" Sora yelled over his shoulder to his friend, stuck in Ansme's body. Riku had tols Sora everything, about how he had taken Ansem's for to weild the darkness, how he had left them clues, and about how he had not wanted to be found like this. Riku was ashamed of what he had become to wield the power of darkness he needed to help bring Sora back. Running up the stairs to the tower before them, the saw the King and the real Ansem the Wise, or Diz as Riku called him. Standing there on the tower, Xemnas appeared, talking for some time with Ansem the Wise beofre turning cruely to face Riku.

"Oh and you, I have something you want, something you've been searching for." Xemnas laughed, and out from behind him he pulled...Jessica! Riku gagged, crumpling slightly when he saw her. Xemnas had blindfolder her, tied her wrists together so that the ropes bit into her delicate skin, gragging her arond by her hair. She looked scaried, shaking and trembling visibly.

"Let her go Xemnas, I mean it! Let her go!" Riku yelled, summoning his keyblade, the very one the mirage made but his heart and her's had made to help him escape the darkness he had been trapped in. At the sound of his voice, Jessica's head shot up, listneing.

"R - Riku?" She asked timidly, sure she had heard wrong. It couldn't be her Riku, Xemnas had said he wasn't here in the castle. Xemnas had said Riku had abandoned her, left her to die her wth him, to fade into the twilight realme with him. She hadn't believed it, but somehow she knew Riku wasn't here in this world as he had once been, something had happened to him, she could feel it in her heart. "Riku, is that really you?"

"Yes, Jessica, it is me! I've come at last, just like I promised you so long ago." Riku said, tears filling his eyes, causing his vision to blur so her couldn't she her before him anymore. She stuggled to pull away from Xemnas, to push the blindfold down so she could she him, not just hear him.

"I love you Riku, I love you so much!" She cried, Xemnas pulling her against him, ready to depart into the darkness with her.

"And I love you Jessica, with all my heart!" Riku called back, struggling as the King, Sora, and the other's attempted to hold him back from jumping on Xemnas. Riku would lose if he fought now, angry as he was, and they knew Riku didn't want anything to happen to Jessica.

"You do?" Jessica said quietly, growing still. Xemnas let her go slightly, now that she was done trying to escape at the moment. "You love me Riku? You really love me?"

"Yes, I always have and I always will!" Riku yelled, still fighting to get away from the friends holding him back, away from her. "I love you Jessica."

"The machine is going to explode!" Ansem the Wise yelled suddenly, cauing everyone to turn and look at him. He was struggling with the machine. "Riku, you know what to do!"

The explosion blasted around them. Jessica screamed, unable to see to protect herself. Kairi had grabbed onto Sora, holding him close. The King, Donald, and Goofy had run together to prtect each other, leaving Riku on his own. When the blast and light had cleared and eveyone was getting up, they found Riku had returned to normal, no longer shut inside Ansem's body. Sora was excited to see his best friend again, but even so...

"There's someone else who would want to see you more!" Sora said happily, looking around for Jessica. "Where - where did she go?"

"Did Xemnas take her?" Kairi asked. She had longed to see Jessica as well. She and Jessica had been best friends on the island, and Kairi had wanted to see her as bad as she had Sora and Riku. "Is she still his prisoner?"

"Look! Up there!" The King shouted, pointing a little ways up the stair to another balcony like the one they were standing on. There lay the body of a girl, a gril they all knew very well.

"No! Jessica!" Riku yelled, dashing up the stairs to where she lay, crumpled in a heap. He untied her wrists and the blindfold, cradling her close to his body. She hadn't woken up, which could only mean she was...

"No, she can't be dead!" Riku sobbed, tears falling down his face, onto Jessica's. Riku, the tough one, the one who never cried, sobbed uncontrolably over the body of his love. She was gone, and he felt it was his fault somehow. "What am I going to do?"

"I've got a few ideas." A quiet voice said, making them all jump. They knew that voice...

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bum bum baaaaa! LOL Drama! Oh no! Ha ha ha, great way to end a chapter, huh?

Hope you liked it! I loved the idea whe I came up with it, so tell me what you think, please! To be continued soon!


	2. A First Kiss And The Final Door

Okay, here it is, Chapter Two! Yay for me! Okay, it's kinda short, but here goes.

And now we find out the owner of the voice!

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Chapter 2

**(Jessica POV)**

Sora's voice, then Kairi's, echoing numbly in my head as I struggled to regain control of my senses and remember where I was. They were speakingt from far away, or so it seemed to my disgruntled brain. Riku, I heard him as well. He was upset, I could here it in his voice as he spoke, even though I couldn't understand what he was saying. I frowned, something was upaetting him and I couldn't help him, as dead inside as I felt. He was holding me close to his body, I realized smiling, wishing I could snuggle into him but unable to move my deadened body. I felt something wet fall onto my face, falling onto my slightly parted lips, slipping into my mouth. It was satly and strange. There were tears I realized sadly, Riku's tears. Riku was crying.

"What am I going to do?" I heard Riku sob, his tears continuing to fall onto my face. I felt sad, like crying, Riku's tears casuing tears of my own to form at the corners of my eyes, slipping sadly down my face.

"I have a few ideas." I whispered, opening my eyes slowly. Everyone looked down at me, smiling to see I was awake for some reason. Everyone was smiling that is, but Riku. Riku just stared down at me, unable to believe I was awake and speaking to them all for some strange reason I couldn't understand. "What's wrong Riku, whay are you crying?"

"I though you were dead." Riku said, his voice strained slightly, tears staining his pale face, falling softly down his face onto mine. He pulled me closer to him, his face inches from mine. "Don't you ever do that to me again, understand? I thought I lost you. I love you too much to go through that ever again!"

And then Riku did it at last. He closed the small gap between us and kissed me tenderly, his mouth closing over mine, making my head spin deliciously. It was heaven, I never wanted it to end, this one tiny moment in time the two of shared lasting forever in his memory and mine. Riku grew restless, his hands reaching behind my back to pull me closer into him as my arms crept around his neck, pulling his lips harder against mine. Closing my eyes, I gave myself over to wonderful thing I was experiencing for the first time. No one had ever kissed me before, and I was glad I could share this new expericence with Riku, the one person I loved above all else in the world. It was all so strange and beautiful to me as his rough lips crushed my softer ones, Riku moaning into my mouth with need, causing me to blush as he continued to kiss me.

At a strange sound coming from behind Riku we broke apart, looking tenetitively behind us. Sora, Kairi, Donald, Goofy, and the King stood there, staring at us with wide eyes, each one looking a little pleased that we had finally kissed, or a little pink in the face from having watched us kiss.

I blushed crimson again, pressing my face into Riku's chest. I had forgotten they had been watching us, that they had been with us at all on top of this balcony at all, forgotten that it wasn't just the two of us in our own little world where we could do whatever we wanted without worrying about anyone watching us.

"Let's go get Xemnas. He's the last survivor of Organization XIII." Riku said deterimedly, helping me to my feet so I could stand. I wobbled slightly, clutching his arm for support. He looked down at me, smiling. "Don't worry sweetheart, I'm here to protect you from him this time. I won't let anyone hurt you ever again, I can promise you that."

"I know." I said quietly, reaching up to take his face in between my hands, bringing it down to mine so I could kissed him again. _Riku's so much taller than me now, so much stronger than I remember him,_ I though as I held him close to me, frowning slightly. _There's a strange sadness about him as well now, and I need to help him get rid of it somehow. He's so wonderful. I want him to be as happy as I am right now for the rest of his life_.

We made our way up to the tower where we knew that Xemnas would be pouting and cursing us over his ruined Kingdom Hearts. He turned to face us, smiling cruely, and Riku stepped protectively in front of me to block me from his view. I was glad that Riku wanted to protect me and take care of me, but in a fair fight I knew Xemnas stood no chance. When Xemnas had taken me captive, he had cheated, not giving me a chance to defend myself. I hadn't been aware of his pressence behind me until he had struck me over the head, knocking me out. It hadn't been fair, but fair wasn't how Xemnas worked. He spoke to all of us, telling us and trying to convince us that we were wrong about those who walked in the twilight, but nothing he could say would change our minds. He had caused too much pain for all of us to bear, and now it was his turn to feel it.

Suddenly I felt a strange wind sweep over me, engulfing my entire body and slipping into my brain. I closed my eyes, placing my hands over them ever though Riku was still standing in from of me. I felt strange and cried out for Riku to help me, but I heard no reply. When I opened my eyes, I didn't know where I was, but I was not alone. I was standing next to Sora, and Xemnas was before us, smiling wickedly as he drew his blades. I had never seen weapons like these before, and they reminded me strongly of something out of one of the 'STAR WARS' movies. I didn't know for sure, but I could tell that they could do some real damage if they caught me off-gaurd. There was no other choice, so Sora and I fought him, our keyblades moving almost as one as we fought him. He was a difficult opponent, one of the most difficult I had ever fough in all my adventures with Sora, but with Sora by my side and the knowledge that Riku was alive and safe in the Realm of Twilight, I felt I could do anything.

When it was finally over, when Sora and I had defeated him, Xemnas faded, leaving the two of us standing together in this strange place, unsure of what to do next. We were alone, no way to get back to the ones we cared about most, no way out of this place, no way back to where we had come from.

"Sora! Can you hear me? Sora!" We heard Kairi's voice screaming from somewhere far away from where we know were. Sora looked arond wildly, staring in the direction the voice had come from, rushing this way and that to find her, even though we both knew she wasn't here.

"Jessica, where are you? Come back, Jessica!" Riku's voice called from the place Kairi's had echoed from moments before. I looked around, feeling that familiar wind pick up again, blowing over me as I shut my eyes against it.

**(End POV)**

Riku and Kairi stood with their backs to where Sora and Jessica had jsut appeared on the ground behind them, not knowing the people they were yelling for in panic had returned to them. Sora groaned as they picked themselves off the ground, dusting themselves off slightly. Riku turned around at the sound, running over to Jessica to wrap her in his arms. She smiled into his shoulder. This was all either of them had ever wanted, all they had wanted was the other's love, and now they had it, exactly what they had wanted all their lives.

"Quit doing that to me, would you?" Riku whispered in Jessica's ear sending a chill down her spine. He pulled her closer to his chest, his head resting on top of her hers.

"I can't help it Riku, it's just how I do things." She laughed, pulling back to look up into his beautifully handsome face. "I missed you so much when you got locked behind the Door to Darkness. I thought I'd never see you again Riku."

"I made a promise to you, remember?" I swore to you I would protect you and never leave you especially when you needed me. I promised I would always be there for you." Riku said, kissing her forehead tenderly. "And I want to keep that too, if you'll let me."

"Of course I will. I love you and intend on keeping you around fro now on." Jessica said, resting her head back on Riku's shoulder. "And I'll never leave you again. I'll take care of you, I promise."

The door suddenly appeared before them, large and silver. This was it, they all knew it. This was the door that could change everything.

"That's the final door!" The King said loudly, pointing at it. "That's the door that will decide the fate of all the worlds. That door leads to our greats battle, one we must face together."

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Okay it was way too short I know, but that's how it is sometimes. I needed to set everything up in this chapter. More soon to come, I swear! 


	3. The Mention Of A Home

Finally! Chapter 3 is up and ready for action! Thanks to all my reviewers, I really appreciate it.

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Chapter 3

**(Riku POV)**

Sora stepped forward, opening the doors. A bright light spilled from them, dazzling us all. I felt Jessica press her face into my chest to hide her eyes and I placed an arm protectively around her, my other arm shielding my eyes from that blinding light. After spending so much time in the darkness, investing all my energy into getting stronger so that I could again, I had turned away from the light.

"Come on Riku! Jessica! Let's do this!" I heard Sora yell. The light hadn't faded and squinting against it I saw everyone - Sora, Donald, Goofy, Kairi, and the King - run into it, fearless. I hesitated, bitting my lower lip. Could I do this? Could I stand the light, after all the darkness I had been through and embraced with open arms for so long? I felt Jessica leave my side, rushing forward after them, stopping right on the brink of the door and the light beyond it. The light fell against her, illuminating her face. She looked happy but determined in her own special way I couldn't decribe. She held out a hand to me, beckoning for me to go to her and take it in mine, to take her hand so she could lead me through that light I feared above all else.

"Riku, it's okay. You can do this Riku, I know you can. You're so much stronger now than I ever could dream of being in my life. And I'll go with you this time, you don't have to go through this door alone, not this time." She said softly, but I hung on every word that fell from her lips, drinking them in like a sunflower would a sweet summer rain after a drought. I knew we had to hurry, that Sora and the others needed our help in this battle against the twilight, but somehow all I could do was stare at her, my angel.

I finally nodded, taking her hand. She smiled at me, squeezing my hand gently before we ran head first into that light, together. The light cleared before us, and we saw we where in a strange city. The other were grouped in front of us, looking around. The ground began to shake and I stumbled, almost knocking Jessica to the ground.

"Run quickly, back through the doors before it's too late!" I yelled, pushing Jessica toward them. We ran back to the doors in a panic, an other earthquake sending me sprawling to the ground. Sora helped me to my feet as we continued to run back for the doors. Sora, Donald, Goofy and I were a little bit behind the others seeing as I had held them up when I had fallen. Kairi, Jessica, and the King made it through the door as they began to shut. Jessica turned as the closed to look at me, throwing herself against them as they shut tight, calling out my name.

"Come on guys, we can take Xemnas on our own!" Sora shouted, running forward, keyblade in hand. I nodded, ready to fight. _At least Jessica's safe with the King and Kairi,_ I though happily, cathcing up with Sora and the others as we rushed into battle.

**(End POV)**

**(Jessica POV)**

"Run quickly, back through the doors before it's too late!" Riku yelled, pushing me in the small of the back. I stumbled, nearly falling on my face but Riku grabbed my arm, continuing to push me back towards the doors. I ran forward, thinking he was rght behind me still. I sighed as the doors began to close, seeing as we had all made it through in time, but then Kairi yelled and pointed back through the door behind me over my sholder, so I turned to look. My heart fell, plummetting down in a spiral through the void inside me. Riku and the others weren't going to make it in time. Running back to the doors I fell against them after they had already closed and it was too late, crying out Riku's name.

"What do we do now?" Kairi asked, her voice rembling slightly. I looked back at her, confused. The Kairi I knew back from the islands was never scared and she certainly never asked anyone else what to do.

"We need to get off this tower for a start. This isn't a very defencible position. The King said quickly, running for the stairs, Kairi following her, but I didn't budge.

"Jessica, what's wrong?" Kairi asked me, taking my arm to pull me behind her as she used to. Back on the island when we were children, she had led me everywhere when I wasn't already being dragged around after Riku on one of his adventures, and I never stopped her because she was stronger than me. The only difference was, that I was the stronger one now. I pulled my arm out of her grip as hot tears welled up behind my eyes. "Come on! The King said -"

"I heard him Kairi, I'm not going. You go on without me." I said, cutting across her. She looked taken aback, and I smiled gently. "Go on, the King's not going to wait forever. I'll stay and wait for the others on my own."

"But why?' The King asked, angry with me for questioning his judgement. "We aren't safe here!"

"Then take Kairi and go, my minds made up though your Highness and you can't change that. I'm waiting here for Riku." I said, sitting down on the edge of the railing that ran around the top of the tower. "I just got him back your Highness, I'm not about to waste one minute I could be spending with him again."

"I understand what you mean." Kairi said slowly, plopping down next to me and taking my hand in both of hers. "I feel the same way about my Sora. You're right."

"Are you staying here then too?" The King asked, groaning when Kairi nodded. "I guess I better stay with you then to protect you until they get back."

"No, you two should go where it's safe, I'll be fine on my own." I said. I pleaded with them, but they shook their heads deafly. Their minds were made up as well it seemed.

"i'm staying with you, my best friend." Kairi said sweetly, patting my hand. I realized then just how much I had missed her when she had gone back to the island without me and Sora. She had been like a sister to me, and I had lost her. I blinked furiously, fighting with the tears that had sprung up suddenly in my eyes. "Go ahead and cry Jessica, I am already." I looked up into her face, smiling at the tears that were falling thick and fast down her face. _These are happy tears, _I smiled, tears of my own finally falling down my face. _It's okay for these tears to come out._

"Look the doors!" The king shouted suddenly, pointing. There was no need for the yelling or to point, as soon as the doors had budged me and Kairi had both looked around, hoping to see the ones we loved. Sora, Donald, and Goofy staggered out, exhausted but looking pleased. I paniced when I didn't see Riku with them at first, but he came soon after, struggling to shut the doors behind him. I ran to him to help, and together we shut the doors.

When it was closed, Riku practically collapsed on me, slumping forwards to lean against me, breathing heavily. He closed his eyes, his long silver hair falling in front of his face as he shook. I wrapped my arms around his waist, pulling his towards me. He smiled at me, but his eyes stayed closed.

"Riku, what's wrong?" I asked, still examining his face. His eyes opened to look down into mine. "Well?"

"I'm fine darling, just a little tired." Riku said as we walked back to the others where they stood celebrating. "I'll be fine once I get some rest."

"You can rest all you want, once we go home." I said happily, skipping back to the others. I felt Riku pull aways as I said 'home' but then Kairi pulled me into a tight hug before I could look around at Riku. Something was wrong with him, I could tell.

**(End POV)**

**(Riku POV)**

Home. My angel of light had said 'once we go home.' It was terrifying and thrilling all at once in a way. Home was the only other thing I had wanted besides finding my sweet love again. And yet the thought of Destiny Islands terrified me. How could I go back? How could everything go back to the way it was before I had let the darkness inside me? I had given up my home, castinf it aside n my quest for power. My home, my friends, even the only one I had ever loved - Jessica. I pushed her aside in my thirst for the darkness that had slowy consumed me until there had been nothing left. Nothing left but the light Jessica had imparted in my heart. Jessica was my light, but could even her bright light overcome the darkness inside of me?

"Riku, what's going on?" Sora asked quietly, staring up into my face. He was still so innocent, after all he had been through in search of Kairi, he was still the same old Sora, concerned about a friend he cared about.

"What's worng, do you really have to ask? How am I gonna face everyone Sora? I gave in to the darkness, after all I've done." I said, finally snapping, giving in to the mixed emotions bottled up inside of me. He looked shocked to see me like this, to hear me snap at him for the first time ever in his life. I looked instead at Jessica where she stood with Kairi, smiling broadly. "How can I ever face her?"

"Like this!" Sora said, pullinf one of his hillarious faces. I couldn;t help but laugh at him, he looked like the biggest dork. He smiled, nodding his head. "That'll work for everyond back o the island. As far as Jessica's concerned, you don't have to worry."

"Why not?" I asked, confused. Sora just continued to smile up at me, explaining in a low whisper.

"She loves you Riku, she really does. Just like I love Kairi." Sora said simply, punching he in the sholder weakly. "That's not going to change just because you made a few mistakes. Everyone makes mistakes from time to time that we wished we could undo. She still loves you, even after all the chaos and drama. Stop worrying about her and start being thankful already! Go show her you love her!"

"Maybe you're right Sora." I said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Thanks."

"Wait a minute! How are we going to get out of here?" Donald shouted above everyone. We all looked around at each other, unsure of what to say.

"I know, I'll create a portal." I said, raising my hand in from of me, palm running up and down in front of my face. Nothing happened. I dropped my hand, confused. "I can't do it anymore, what happened?"

"I think I get it!" The King said. stepping forward. "Your darkness has left you Riku. You don't belong to the darkness anymore Riku, you're free."

"No." I said simply, turning to Jessica instead. I picked her up, one hand under her knees, the other behind her back holding her up tenderly so she could lay her head on my chest, and she did, wrapping her arms around my torso. "I belong to something much more beautiful and kind. I never want to be free from it."

"Oh don't worry about that Riku." Jessica said, running a single finger down the side of my face tenderly, a trail of fire left where ever she touched me. "I'll never let you go again."

"Good." I smiled, kissing her all the way down the right side of her face until I got to her mouth, kissing her there as I had wished for so long. I had longed for her, to hold her tightly in my amrs and feel her hold me just as tighly back, to feel her beautifully soft lips under mine, to feel her arms around my neck pulling me closer to her than I had ever imaged I could be or that she would want me to be. All my dearest wishes had been fufilled by this glorious angel I had pressed against my chest, still supporting her, holding her above the ground.

She wasn't going to let me have everything my way though, her hands slipping from around my neck. I growled my dissapointment into her mouth. Her hands slid up my neck and into my hair as she grabbed handfulls of it, pulling my head farther down to hers. I moaned into her again, kissing her harder. A moment later she pulled away, breathing hard, laying her head back on my chest as my head spun. I smiled at her, setting her back down on her feet. I laughed to my self when she swayed, knees still weak from my kiss.

"Hey look! A portal!" Kairi shouted, pointing to the other side of the tower away from us. We ran to it, stopping in front of it. A blonde girl appeared, smiling at us. "Hurry on through you guys before it shuts. Thank you Namine."

Jessica and I watched as Namine, Sora, Kairi, and Roxas talked, the two nobodys eventually dissapearing back into their original selves. I could tell Jessica was confused, but there was no time for questions. I took her hand in mine, swearing to myself that this time I would go with her, even if it led to the ends of the earth. She wasn't going to be alone ever again, not if I could help it. We never got throught the portal though. It closed right behind Kairi, shutting out Sora, Jessica, and me. We stood there on top of the tower, unsure what we could do or how we could ever get home now. We all shot forward suddenly, falling to the ground as the tower shook violently. The tower was collapsing beneath us, and there was nothing we could do. As the tower tipped on one side, I saw my oppertunity, there by the base of the tower was a flyer, a platform attached to one side. I jumped off the tumbling tower, Sora shouting after me, Jessica screaming in fear as I fell. Graabing the handles of the bike as I fell passed it, I swung myself onto the bike, speeding back towhere the others were still fighting to stop themselves from falling. Sora jumped a once, landing on the platform so Jessica could slid on behing me. But she didn't jump.

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There you are, chapter 3 is done for. What will happen to Jessica? Find out n chapter 4! Coming soon 


	4. Jump, Fight, Die

Okay, so we left off on Riku's POV, but I said it again so no one would get confused! What will happen to Jessica now? Will she make it if she refuses to jump?

Happy reading and tell me what you think!

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_**Chapter 4**_

_**(Riku POV)**_

Jessica stood stock still on the crooked tower top as it slipped still further down, slanting still farther until it was almost strange up and down. She slipped, flailing slightly as she screamed, desperate to keep her balance. She looked up at me, her eyes showing me the depths of her uncontrollable fear and desperation as she struggled not to fall.

"Hurry up Jessica, jump before it's too late! Come on!" Sora yelled to her, his hands cupped around his mouth as he screamed. She shook her head at him, backing away still farther from that perilous tower's edge. Crying out in anger and desperation, Sora turned to look at me instead, his face screwed up in panic. "Why won't she jump? She's going to fall but she won't jump to save herself!"

I looked silently at Sora, unsure of what to say to him for one of the first times in my life. I didn't have an answer for him, because I was confused myself. Why won't Jessica jump? I looked back at her, examining her face as she looked up at me fleetingly before returning her gaze to the tower's edge she feared to fall from.

And then I suddenly remembered in sickening shock that wracked my body and brain that she had looked at me with that same look once before, the only other time in my life I had seen her as afraid as she was now or ever really, she always tried to his her fear from us. It was the same look she had given me on the night I made her the promise, the promise that even now I was breaking by doing nothing. That night she had looked at me through the fence as she clung for dear life with that same fear lurking in the depths of those beautiful eyes, fearing the fall that awaited her but I had prevented from happening only just in time. (A/N: Those of you who have read my 'A Light Inside' will remember the night Riku's talking about obviously as its part of the flashback in that story. Those of you who haven't that story, sorry if you're confused as to what Riku's talking to himself about)

"What is it?" Sora asked me, breaking my line of thought as I stared at Jessica. I looked back at him, seeing terror etched in his face. "Do you know what's wrong with her, why she won't jump?"

"Yes, I know." I said. My throat felt dry, causing my voice to crack slightly under the pressure and nerves. "Jessica's afraid of heights."

"Is that why she never climbed trees or anything with us back home? And why she never went over the bridge to our tree without you close if she could help it?" I nodded and he gasped, everything finally making perfect sense to him, all her strange habits she had taken up to stay away from the thing she feared most. I had known all along of course because she had told me, but I had sworn not to tell, to help her keep her well guarded secret. "What are going to do to help her then? Can we help her at all? I feel useless just watching her as she scrambles around the top of the tower."

"I have an idea." I said quickly, bringing the flyer as close to the tower and Jessica as was possible without smashing into it and sending Sora and I to our deaths miles below. We were about a yard or two away from Jessica, but not as far as when Sora had jumped. "Jessica darling, jump quickly! I know you're scared, but I swear I'll catch you before you can fall. I promise I will, nothing will happen to you, trust me and just jump before time runs out, please!"

The look on her face before she jumped as she looked up into my face was strange, a look I would never forget until my dying day, I knew as she gave it to me. Her face was filled with a mix of emotions I had never seen together starting out from her eyes, some of them never at all. Fear that she would fall to her death, confusion at how this had all happened to her, hope that she would make the jump, and complete trust that I would catch her and protect her as I had sworn to do. Running as she went she jumped for us, pushing off from the tower as she did. She fell a tad short and merely brushes against the bike, screaming as she began to fall.

Letting go of the handles I grabbed her wrists, one of hers in each of my own, stopping her from falling. She screamed, thrashing about below us, making it very difficult for me to keep a good hold on her. I felt her slipping out of my grasp and leaned back, pulling her up a little in doing so. I knew she must be terrified, but so was I in that moment of panic.

"Hold still so I can pull you up, okay?" I called down to her, and she immediately fell still as I pulled her up into my arms. It wasn't hard for me to lift her, seeing as I had often carried her back up to my room on the days she fell asleep at the beach as the two of us watched the sunset from the sand together, but when she had thrashed about it had been impossible for me to pull her up. She wrapped her arms around my neck, her forehead pressed lightly against my own as she cried. I wrapped my arms around her, holding her tightly, comforting her the best I could while trying to keep us airborne. She stopped crying, slipping behind me onto the back of the seat, holding me about the waist as I began to fly us away from the crumbling tower. "That wasn't so bad, was it?"

"Speak for yourself!" Jessica and Sora said together, shouting at me. Sora had been watching the whole time, biting at his fingernails it seemed instead of being any help to us. He had nearly fainted he admitted when Jessica had fallen. There was a strange roar heard below us, and a great silver mechanical dragon flew out from under us, soaring passed.

"After it, quick!" Sora yelled, swinging his keyblade around expertly as we soared off. I nodded at him, and we were off in a spurt of speed. As I drove, Sora killed the nobodies that came whizzing at us like they had been shot out of cannons, Jessica meanwhile watching and attacking the ones that attempted to sneak up on us from behind. The dragon stopped, and we found ourselves facing a familiar villain, the deadly king that Xemnas had transformed into to defeat us when Sora, Donald, Goofy and I had been locked behind the door together. This was the first time I had witnessed Jessica's skill on the battle field as we fought the mysterious king, and I was shocked at how much she knew and the attacks she could pull off on her own. She could pull things off I had never seen anyone do and attacks I could never dream of being able to do. She was doing better than Sora even, running forward into it with everything she had behind her attacks, even if they failed.

A bright light surrounded us as our villain cried out in anger and frustration. When I finally looked around, I saw we were in a strange gray and white realm that stretched out around us in all directions in a never ending pattern. I shuddered, reminded all too vividly of the time I had spent in the realm of darkness. Jessica seemed to sense my discomfort, slipping her small hand into my large pale one.

"If light and darkness go on forever, than surely the nothingness we nobodies feel must be the same. And surely I must be eternal, as eternal as the nothing that made me exist." Xemnas said, lecturing us in his arrogance and ignorance.

"You're right." I said, stepping forward and dropping Jessica's hand. He looked at me, glaring viscously. "Light and dark do go on forever, but that doesn't mean you do!" I shouted, running forward. I lashed out suddenly, attempting to strike him down and he blocked the blow, retaliating swiftly. I dodged him, ducking as quickly and low as I could. His weapon passed right over my head, barley missing me, the force of the blow ruffling my hair so it blew about my face as if caught in a high wind blowing off the ocean waves I had known as a child growing up on the islands.

"No!" I heard Jessica yell, rushing forward to my aid, engaging Xemnas in combat. Sora came right behind her, jumping up and bearing down upon Xemnas fiercely and relentlessly. I quickly joined the battle once more, my keyblade at the ready as I pounced. Xemnas fought, taking all of us on at once. He struck Sora down, his keyblade flying from his hand as he fell. I caught it in my hand, calling out his name as I threw it to him. He looked around, catching it in the tips of his fingers just in time to block Xemnas' next blow that was aimed for his heart that he had left unguarded. Jessica jumped in to help Sora at this point, striking Xemnas swiftly from behind in the small of the back which he had left unguarded. He cried out, doubling over before turning to rain his furry down upon her. She fought back bravely, but he kept advancing on her, out doing her with two weapons so all she could do was defend and not attack herself as not to be caught off guard and hit. Jessica lost her footing and fell onto her back, Xemnas still attacking her forcefully as Sora ran to help. I panicked as I ran to her aid. Out of lack of options and time to think things through I threw myself bodily against him, knocking into him with my shoulder. Pain shot up my arm as he and I both slipped sideways as we lost our balance, Jessica jumping into my path as I tumbled to the ground, fighting in my place as Sora helped me off the ground.

The fight dragged on, each of us taking blows for the good and well being of everyone we had ever known and loved back in all the worlds we had ever visited over the past two years. Xemnas took the most damage, fighting back at all costs. All at once in a sudden last effort of sorts, he beat Sora back, sending him flying across the realm of nothing before us to land painfully on his side, getting up slowly. I turned to run and help him, but –

"Riku, look out behind you!" Jessica yelled suddenly, yelling out to me. I turned around quickly, eyes widening as I saw Xemnas raising his arms, smirking at me as he went to strike. I flinched and closed my eyes, unable to do anything at all in time to save myself from the fate before me. My life flashed before my eyes, seeming all too short and miserable for me to be murdered as I braced myself.

But the blow never fell upon me. I felt small hands pushing me sideways, out of the way. I fell backwards, twisting in the air to watch in horror as Xemnas' blow struck the angel that had just saved my life. He rained several blows down on the body, sneering as he destroyed it. Jessica gasped as she was struck, the wind being knocked out of her as she fell to the ground, unmoving before Xemnas' feet as he continued to advance.

"Jessica!" I shouted, but she didn't move. I scrambled up from the floor, racing to her body to flip her over into my slightly shaking arms as Sora reentered the fight, buying me precious time to help her. She opened her eyes a sliver, looking up at me as she gasped for breath. Sputtering like a dying candle, she groped for my hand and I took it, pressing it against my cheek as bitter guilty tears slipped down the tip of my nose onto her face. "Jessica, no. Why did you do that? Why would you do something that stupid, you got hurt because of it!"

"Are you - alright Riku? Are you – hurt at - all?" She asked sweetly and quietly, her voice breaking as she struggled for air. "I did it because I – love you so much. People do – stupid things for - the ones they – care about. Please say I didn't do it all for nothing."

"I'm fine, you made sure of that my love." I sobbed, pulling her closer. She smiled, making my insides squirm guiltily. "Please don't go, don't leave me like this. I love you."

"I love – you as well. You'll live on Riku, you will." Jessica smiled, stroking my cheek with her trembling hand. "Live on – for me, promise? I can't bear to see – you sad, my dear Riku. Promise me you'll live on without me."

"Jessica, no." I said, struggling to stifle another sob. "You'll be fine, I know it! You just have to make it. You just have to!"

"Promise me! Riku!" She said, grabbing the collar of my shirt to pull herself forward up into my face. She was straining herself, the blood and color leaving her face as she struggled to remain upright.

"Jessica, my darling." I said quietly, staring into her sweetly determined face. "I promise." She looked relieved, letting go and falling back onto the floor slowly. She didn't move, her eyes staring ahead of her dully like a puppet thrown away and forgotten. "Jessica?"

Nothing, nothing at all, just the overwhelming silence and the numb feeling clouding my heart as I stared down at her unmoving body. I reached out a hand to take hers. It was cold and clammy, and raising it up I watched it fall back to rest on her leg when I let it go.

"She's gone." I murmured, shocked beyond reason. Jessica, the love of my life, the angel of my soul, the light that led me through the darkness surrounding me, was lying dead before me. And all because she had pushed me out of harms way to protect me from getting hurt, and she had suffered because of her wanting to take care of me. "Jessica's gone. She's really gone, she's left me for good this time and I can never get her back."

"What?" Sora said sharply, turning to look at me, caught off guard. Xemnas went to strike as Sora looked down horrified at Jessica's limp body, and I did the only think that made sense.

Acting as Jessica had, on instinct more than thought or planning I slammed into Sora, pushing him in the small of the back. He flew out of the way with a 'What are you doing' look as Xemnas stuck me in the back, his blade running along my spine. Gasping in pain, I fell to the ground in a crumpled heap, unable to move. Xemnas went to strike again, and I raised my keyblade to block him – but Sora got there first.

Sora, pushed him back, taking my hand so we both held my keyblade, his in his other hand as we finished it, Xemnas was gone for good in a burst of dark energy. I stood up, wincing slightly as I put pressure on my left leg. My leg felt like lead making it difficult for me to stand and I swayed. Looking over to where I had abandoned Jessica's body, watching with a heavy heart as Sora walked slowly over to her, dropping to his knees beside her. He had loved Jessica like a sister, just as Kairi loved her in her special way. Overcome with emotion and unable to stand on my own any longer, I let myself fall forward onto my face, willing the ground to open beneath me and swallow me up so I could slowly suffocate and return to my one true love, where ever she was.

"Riku!" Sora yelled, running to me to help me up. I looked up just in time to see Jessica's body fading, but not in the way that Xemnas' had. Jessica went out in a burst of pale light, causing her body to glow as it disintegrated. "You can't give up Riku, you just can't!"

"Why not Sora? Jessica's gone now, there's no point to life anymore." I said, gesturing at the space around us from where I lay on the ground. "Look at where we are Sora! Even if we could go on, where would we go?"

"Aw, come on Riku, you have to think positive!" Sora said, hauling me to my feet, clutching onto the back of my hands to half guild, half drag me toward a strange light that appeared before us as we walked. It reminded me of Jessica and the light she always seemed to give off, welcoming me. Unlike the door before, this light didn't scare me, because I knew my angel was looking out for me and that she had sent us this path out of this realm of nothing we were left in, all alone. "Look Riku! It's a light. I wonder where it leads to, let's find out."

We walked through the light, ending up on a strange dark beach. It was a small area, just dark sand and dark water. Somehow I felt at home here, like I finally belonged. Sora stopped walking and I pulled away, convincing him I could stand on my own. He walked down towards the water and while he had his back turned, I gave into the pull of the power before me. I let myself go, falling down onto the cold, dark sand, wishing I could fade back into the darkness as I had wanted to back when I was locked behind the Door to Darkness and my heart and hers had sent me Jessica's image to help me pull through. (A/N: Once again, sorry if you're confused as to what Riku's talking about. It's something out of my other story again, 'A Light Inside')

Sora turned around, having obviously been talking to me when I wasn't listening and turned to check why I wasn't answering him, rushing over to me to help me up again. But I didn't want help, unless he could speed up the fading process. Sora convinced me to give up trying to fade away, that the two of us could make up the darkness instead now that the realm of light was safe and all.

"Sora?" I asked suddenly, looking down at the water. It reminded me of the beaches on Destiny Islands and our islet playground. "Could you help me get down to the water?"

"Sure." Sora said helping me struggle down to the water were we sat together, talking about life and our journeys and how lucky we were to have each other and to be friends. I cared for Sora as my best friend, and even as I was slightly happier that Sora was with me, I still wanted my angel back. I'd take Jessica over Sora any day. We sat in silence for a while, staring out at the dark water as the breeze swept over us, chilling the skin of my face. I closed my eyes, soaking it all in, smiling.

A bottle carried on the wavy water floated about my ankles and opening my eyes I grabbed it, uncorking it to read the letter curled up inside. It was more like a poem than anything else. Somehow I knew it was written by Kairi about Sora from when she had been back on the islands alone waiting for us to return. I nudged him, handing him the letter. He read it out loud to me like he read anything else, seeing as he never was the best at school subjects and things that didn't involve being lazy or waving a sword around like a medieval knight. As he read, he got teary eyed and I could feel his heart aching with longing to see Kairi again and have her back in his arms, and a bright doorway appeared before us. Shielding his eyes from the light, he stared over at me, looking for some reaction or answer.

"Look Riku! The – it's the Door to Light!" Sora said, jumping up and running to the doorway that had appeared a bit out in the shallow water. He turned back to me, offering me a hand that I stared at blearily. "We'll go together, okay?"

I stared up at him, tempted to tell his to shove off and leave me here were I could mope about and mourn my lost love in peace, but Jessica's dying promise kept me quiet and from answering at once as I longed to do. I swore to her as she died that I would live on without her, but I also knew she meant in the company of other people we both cared about, like Sora and Kairi, not all alone to live life as a loner on this beach we had found. But that was what I wanted, to be alone the rest of my life, as I knew my heart could never mend or escape from the pain I was feeling. I would never love again, just as I would never forgive myself for what had happened to Jessica back in the realm of nothingness that Xemnas had lived in.

"Riku?" Sora asked insistently, shaking his hand in invitation.

"I'll go with you, as long as I don't have to go alone." I said finally, pushing myself up to stand. Together we walked forward hand in hand into the light before us, neither of us having or wanting to do this alone. We were suddenly falling from the sky, falling down until all I felt was wet and cool water surrounding me, making its way inside my body and brain. I broke the surface of the water with my head, breathing in deeply to fill my lungs with the salty sea air. I had missed the breeze and the sea spray hitting me gently in the face, making me forget for a moment why I had been so sad before.

"Sora, Riku!"

We both looked around to see Kairi, standing on the beach, waving and smiling to us. She beckoned us forward, and we began to swim for the beach together, racing just as we used to before all the chaos, just for the fun of the chase and the thrill of the rushing water against our skin. Donald and Goofy ran out from behind Kairi, running to tackle Sora, pushing him down into the shallower water at Kairi's feet as she laughed at his shocked expression. The King was standing on the beach smiling at me before he pelted forward, running to jump into my arms. I hugged him tightly, smiling into his shoulder. It was nice to have someone hold me close again, but no one could ever replace my angel. I dreaded the thought of having to tell Kairi that Jessica was dead, knowing she would burst into tears and never be the same again. Donald, Goofy and the King would need to be told as well, but I knew I couldn't tell them, any of them. I still hadn't accepted it myself quite yet.

"Any room for me in that hug?"

I jerked away from the King, looking up the beach at the person who had spoken. I recognized that voice immediately, but I couldn't believe I was hearing it again. My mouth fell open and I dropped the King so that he fell down into the water below my feet. The water was only up to my knees, but the King was a lot shorter than I was. But I didn't care. All I could do was stare at the person in front of my face as though struggling to really see them, the person who was even know running out to me smiling with arms open wide, the person who was pulling me tightly against their body as I cried out of joy and confusion. I didn't know how it was possible; all I knew was that it was happening, that this was real.

I smiled through my tears, looking down into Jessica's smiling face, pulling her higher up in my arms to kiss her passionately, my tears mingling with hers as she held me close to her. I didn't know how she was here or how she was alive or if this was just another trick my heart was playing on me, but I didn't care. All I knew was that I had her back, and I was never letting her go again.

OMG! How is this possible, she's dead! You'll have to wait until next time to find out, sorry to leave you out of the loop! Tee hee! Until next time, best wishes and good writing and reading to you all!


	5. Sunsets And Hot Chocolate

Sorry it took so long to write this chapter, I hope you like it anyways! Please no nasty reviews because it took forever, okay? I'm doing my best here. Thanks to anyone who reads this and reviews! I love reviews!

On with the show! Yay!

Chapter 5

(Jessica POV)

"Oh Riku, I missed you so much!" I cried, my arms circling around his neck as I pulled him close. This was true happiness, having the one you love more than like it's self with you! "I thought I'd never see you again! I was so worried, I thought you were dead! Oh Riku I love you so! Don't you ever do that to me again!"

"Jessica, I love you so much!" Riku murmured softly sending a chill down my spine as his voice shook. I glowed with a bright inner happiness as his arms went around my waist. "Jessica, can I ask you something?"

"Anything Riku, you know that." I smiled back. He bit his bottom lip, leading me away from the chattering crowd of Donald, Goofy, Sora, Kairi and the King across the beach and up over the bridge to our old crooked tree where we used to hang out before we all went away on adventures. Riku lifted me gently up onto the tree before climbing up himself. _As thoughtful as even, Riku hasn't changed a bit. After all we've been through, Riku's just the same as always – still my Riku. _"So what do you need to ask me Riku?"

"Jessica." Riku said slowly, taking my hand. I could tell this wasn't going to be good. Riku only acted like this when something was wrong – like the time his brother had run over my kitten and Riku had been the one to come and tell me. Actually, I hated cats, but Riku had been the one to give me the kitten as a birthday present. Naturally I had loved it. "How are you here?"

"What do you mean Riku?" I asked blankly. Of course I knew what he meant... I just didn't know how to tell him. It wasn't the easiest thing to explain, and it's not like he'd believe me even if I told him what happened as crazy as it sounded...

"Jessica, how are you alive?" Riku asked quietly. His hand left mine, moving instead to cup my chin and force me to look into his eyes as I felt tears rising in my eyes. Same eyes, same smiled, same love – it was just me that was different now, Riku was still the same as ever. "I held you in my arms as you died, I watched you fade away. No matter how wonderful this is, I can't help but wonder how you're here with me."

"It's hard to explain Riku. I'm not sure about parts of it myself." I sighed, looking away from him. He didn't understand what it was like – to be all alone in a bright white never-ending room with no one there with you but your own thoughts and feelings. It was miserable there, all alone like that. "You wouldn't understand."

"Try me." Riku smiled, pulling me to him so I was sitting in his lap with my head on his shoulder. I wrapped my arms around his waist. One of his arms twisted its self around mine while the other kept us from falling out of the tree as we looked over the ocean. And as we sat there together I realized something – Riku had been through the exact same thing in the Realm of Darkness after all. Maybe he would understand what I had gone through.

"Alright I'll tell you." I sighed, closing my eyes. "I woke up in a large white space that went on forever and ever in all directions. I was all alone and I was scared. I was sure it was the end."

"Jessica, I'm so sorry." Riku said quietly he said pulling me against him. "Sweetheart, I'm sorry. You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. I can tell this is painful fro you."

"I know I don't have to tell you, but I want you to know anyways." I smiled at him, kissing him lightly on the lips. Riku grabbed my face gently between his hands as I pulled away, deepening the kiss... causing us to both fall out of the tree.

"Sorry, I didn't mean for both of us to fall like that." Riku laughed, standing up to dust himself off before offering me a hand. I took it and he pulled me up off the ground. "So what happened next, how did you get back here?"

"I was getting there before we pulled me out of the tree." I said slowly, poking him in the ribs. He blushed, jumping back up onto the tree. I simply leaned against it, not willing to fall out of it again for any reason – even a mind blowing passionate kiss from the one I loved more than life... okay, maybe for that, but nothing else. And considering I had just done that, I was good for a while. Riku could push me out of a tree later while he was kissing me if he wanted to – as long as we weren't too high of the ground since I am terrified of heights. "Well, I was walking around looking for a way back to you and Sora when I heard this voice call out to me."

"Whose voice was it?" Riku asked curiously. "What did it say?"

"Well, voices actually." I explained. "It was our old friends Roxas and Namine. Roxas told me to stay calm and that everything was going to be okay and Namine said that they were sending someone to help me. And then Axel was there with me all the sudden standing there beside me like he'd been there all along with me."

"Whoa!" Riku gasped loudly, actually falling out of the tree and over the edge of small cliff into the shallow water at the base with a loud splash. I quickly dove in after him. He can swim very well, yes I know, but I wanted to go swimming anyways... and I had just caused him to fall out of a tree and into the ocean so I figured I should go with him. Love's just like that. You act like an idiot for the one you love – end of story. Riku popped up from the water gasping for air as I swam over to him. "Did you say Namine and Roxas talked to you? And Axel's alive? You're kidding right, I hope you're kidding or I might have to call you crazy darling. I hope you understand that."

"Yeah I did, Roxas and Namine were really talking to me and Axel really was there – I poked him to make sure it was real!" I sighed exasperatedly. Why couldn't Riku just listen to me? Okay, it sounded weird I know it's true. But it wouldn't sound as crazy if he'd let me explain without the constant interruptions. "Axel told me how to get out of where ever it was I ended up. It's were Axel went too when he 'died' or whatever happened to him. He helped me escape even though he couldn't escape himself."

"HOW?" Riku yelled, dunking me under the water. When I came up he was glaring at me. "How already, just tell me! It doesn't make sense. Yes, I'm getting frustrated."

"Okay, I'm telling keep your pants on." I sighed, splashing him. He would have splashed back normally, but he must really have wanted to know because he didn't. "Axel told me to summon up all the feelings in my heart and believe in –"

"Believe in what?" Riku asked. I looked up at him, smiling. "Believe in what Jessica? What do you believe in so much that it could defy death?"

"Axel said to believe in our love." I whispered. "And so that's exactly what I did. It brought me home to you."

(End POV)

"Sora, where do you think Jessica and Riku snuck off to?" Kairi asked as they sat together on the beach as the sun was setting holding hands. Kairi was starting to get worried now. It would be dark soon and her friends still hadn't returned. "You don't think something could have happened to them do you? They've been gone a long time."

"I don't know Kairi, but does it really matter to you that much?" Sora asked sternly. Kairi looked up at him surprised, these were his friends too after all. "As long as we're together, do you really need anyone else? I know I don't. I don't need anything but you Kairi, and I never will."

"No, we don't need anything else." Kairi smiled, leaning her head on Sora's shoulder. Kairi's heart felt like it was about to explode with happiness and love for Sora. If love could kill people, she'd be a good candidate to be a victim. "I have you, I don't need anything else Sora. I love you."

"Hey, that's my line to you! Quit stealing my lines!" Sora laughed, poking Kairi on the tip of the nose gently. Kairi giggled looking deep into Sora's blue eyes. Sora leaned forward, capturing her lips with his as he pushed her down onto the soft sand.

Sora and Kairi's first kiss.

(Riku POV)

"So that's how you got back, with the power of our love." I whispered, pulling her into my arms. We had swum back to shore together and traveled back to my house to dry off. Neither of us had spoken since Jessica had told me how she had gotten back. We had been sitting on my couch together for almost an hour now, a blanket wrapped around us and two hot steamy mugs of hot chocolate in hand as we sat in front of the fireplace.

"Yes, that's how I did it. I thought of you and our love and I wished to come back to you and I did." She smiled warmly, leaning her head against my shoulder as she sipped her drink. "I couldn't have done it without you Riku, I hope you know that."

"I bet you could have done it on your own, you're that wonderful." I told her truthfully. She was that wonderful. I loved her so much.

"I hope you know I didn't just get away with this without consequences Riku. There was one condition to me coming back here." She said, biting her lip sadly. When she didn't speak I pressed her about it.

"What is it? What was the condition to coming back to me Jessica?" I asked, sure it wasn't going to be good. And believe me, it wasn't good at all.

()()()()Page break! Ha ha! Yay!

It's short I know. Okay, here's a question for you: What do you think is the one condition? I'm having a hard time deciding between ideas I have for it. If you have any of your own please send them! The winner will be used in the story. I may use more than one of combine ideas so please send any ideas you have. I'll update soon! Ta ta for now!


	6. Panic, Blood, and The End At Last

Okay, okay. I know I haven't updated in forever on this chapter… but really. It was this story so one of my other stories. See as how hardly anyone reads this one anyways, it made more sense to work on my other stories than this one. For those of you (few) people who do actually read this story, this will be the last chapter. It's a bit short, just to warn you.

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**The Panic's End: Riku and Jessica's Beginning

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(Jessica POV)

"I hope you know I didn't just get away with this without consequences Riku. There was one condition to me coming back here." I explained, biting my lower lip as I watched his face to see his reaction. I paused, not wanting to go on with what I knew I had to explain to him – but of course he wasn't going to let me stay silent for long.

"What is it? What was the condition to coming back to me Jessica?" Riku asked me, setting his cup of hot chocolate aside. I still said nothing. "Tell me, please."

"When Axel explained to me how to return to Destiny Island to you and the others, he said in order to stay with you for good I would have to find a way to tie myself to the world again, as the previous link between myself and the world in which I lived had been destroyed when Xemnas 'killed' me. I have a set time limit in which I have to establish the new link before I disappear and never return." I explained, my voice sounding higher than normal as I tried to recall all the things Axel had told me before we had parted. "He also told me the strongest way to invent a new link was to use my most powerful emotion to make it so that it would last and not wear out and send me back to that white room unintentionally. He said the strongest connection I could create would need a little help – from you, Riku."

"You need help from me?" He asked, sounding a little baffled. I didn't blame him in the least, this whole ordeal sounded like something out of those Star Trek episodes we had watch as children when we had nothing better to do on rainy days. In that moment, I felt terrified that Riku would refuse. _If this doesn't work, if I can't get him to agree, Axel said I'll be sent back to stay with him and the others in that white room until the end of the world! Riku just has to agree to help me! _"What do I have to do?"

"What?" I asked, unsure that I had heard him right so immersed as I was in my own thoughts.

"I said what do I have to do." Riku smiled softly, his eyes sparkling. "I'm willing to do anything to keep you here with me Jessica, I love you. Just tell me what I have to do."

I felt myself smile broadly, my eyes close as I leaned in closer to him. His arms tightened around me making me feel safe even thought I knew my time with him was running short. _We'd better do this now, or it'll be too late. Too late for me anyways…_

"Riku, could you get a few things for me while I try to remember everything Axle told me to do to recreate the connection?" I asked him and he nodded. "We're going to need a wine goblet filled halfway with cold water, a sharp silver kitchen knife, a fairly large space cleaned out on the floor, a lighter or a match and as many white candles as we can find. We need to hurry and get started, or else my time will run out before we even get started."

"Hold on a second." Riku whispered, grabbing my wrist as I made to stand up. I looked back at him, staring into his eyes, reading the worried expression that lingered there still. "How long do we have to do this before you poof back to that white hell you were telling me you woke up in after the battle?"

"Riku, if I told you you'd only worry." I frowned as I tried to pull my wrist from his grasp. He didn't relent. "I only have about an hour left with you. If this doesn't work, I'll disappear for good this time."

"We only have an hour left together?" Riku said in a choked voice, his eyes bulging slightly. I watched as a single tear trickled down the side of his face before he spoke again. This time however, his voice was determined. "Then we'd better hurry."

* * *

(Riku POV)

"I think we've got everything then, are you ready Jessica?" I asked her, my eyes flitting to the clock in the corner for what must have easily been the hundredth time. She nodded at me slowly, my eyes scanning over the arrangement placed on the spot we had cleared off on the floor for the 'ritual' or whatever it could be classified as. "You're gonna have to talk me through this you know, I have absolutely no clue what to do."

"I don't expect you to know what to do." She said to me softly, reaching out a hand to stroke my hair lightly sending chills down my spine as I fought to hold back the tears I felt welling up inside of me. "How much time do we have left?"

"About fifteen minutes." I said as I felt my eyes filling with tears. I took her hands up in mine, silently praying that this would work. "Please, we need to do this quickly. We don't have much time. I don't want to lose you a second time."

"You won't, I'm right here." Jessica smiled, kissing me gently before pulling back with a small frown. "There's just one more thing before we find out if this works or not. Once this is all over and done with and you've helped link me to this world again, I'll be linked to you as well."

"That's not so bad is it?" I smirked at her lightly, trying not to panic more than I already was. I could tell without words that she was even more petrified than I was. She didn't need to worry about my fears on top of hers. "Unless of course you're already sick of having me around you or something like that; I kind of like the idea of the two of us being linked together for the rest of our lives, don't you?"

"No, I didn't mean it like that." She sighed, the tone of her voice changing slightly. Jessica suddenly sounded older to me, more tired, more world weary than before as though her time in the other realm had shown her more than she should have seen. It frightened me slightly. "I mean that once this is done, my soul with depend on yours in a way. If we're separated from each other over a large enough distance for an extended period of time I'll start to fade away again until I'm gone for good."

"If we're apart too long, you'll fade away?" I asked her, no doubt in my mind that I sounded terrified. _Her life would depend upon me. The last time she needed me to save her there was nothing I could do. I watched her fade away… I can't let her go through that again._

"Are you sure you still want to help me do this?" She asked me, her voice unsure. She was worried that I would refuse, I could tell. I nodded, planting a chaste kiss on her forehead before pulling back. "Let's get started then. Just kneel down over there and don't speak. I'll tell you what to do and what I'm going to do, but you can't say a word or it'll be ruined."

I nodded deafly, doing exactly what she told me to do. Kneeling down so that she was facing me, she placed the goblet between us being careful not to spill any of the water inside of it.

"Start lighting the candles Riku." She commanded of me gently, her voice shaking of its own will as she struggled to stay calm more for my sake than her own it seemed. I did as I was told and soon we were surrounded by a circle of the gentle candle light of close to thirty white candles that I had dashed around and collected as she set things up. Picking up the knife off of the floor she pulled back the sleeve covering my wrist and did the same with her own. "Don't move, it'll all be over soon. I promise."

Watching spellbound as she lowered the knife over her over wrist I felt suddenly sick, lightheaded as she pressed the blade down into her skin so that her crimson life force blossomed forth suddenly as she hissed softly, biting her lower lip. She tilted her wrist just enough so that some of the blood fell in tiny shimmering droplets into the goblet, staining the water red as I watched her horrified.

"Riku, s-stick out your w-wrist please; I w-won't hurt y-you." She said in a shaky voice. I hesitated before doing so, closing my eyes as I felt the very tip of the blade puncture my skin ever so slightly. I felt my wrist being turned and heard the soft plinking noise that came from my blood falling lightly into the goblet and mixing with hers. "Open your eyes Riku, it's almost over."

When I opened my eyes, she was still kneeling in front of me, the goblet now in her small hands. _She's not actually going to…_

"Please don't look at me like that Riku. I have to, we've only got five minutes or so left." She cried her hair falling in her face as hot tears streamed down her cheeks. "I have to drink half of it, and you drink the rest. Then it's finished."

She pressed the glass to her lips and opened her mouth, the red liquid flowing inside as I fought the urge to scream. When she had finished she handed me the goblet wordlessly. I brought it to my lips and closed my eyes…

* * *

"Have you seen Riku today?" Sora asked Kairi as they walked down the beach together, hand in hand. She shook her head, her red hair catching the sun as she smiled looking out over the waves.

"Do you want to go look for him Sora?" Kairi asked and when he nodded she dropped his hand, Sora heading for the secret place while she headed for the other side of the island.

"Riku, where are you? Come out come out wherever you are!" Sora called out childishly to his missing friend as he looked through the darkness of the cave like area. Sora stopped when a girlish giggle reached his ears soon followed by a recognizable laugh. On tiptoes, Sora crept closer to the laughing voices and peered around the corner of the cave wall.

"Oh come on, we can't stay in here all day Riku!"

"Of course we can, why can't we?" Riku asked the person held so lovingly in his arms. He was sitting with his back against the stony wall, a girl wrapped up in his arms sitting lightly on his lap.

"What about our friends, I don't want them to worry." She said wisely, her fingers teasing their way up and down the arm about her waist. She laughed when he pulled her closer to his body, leaning her head n his chest.

"They won't worry, Sora and Kairi have better things to do than worry about us nowadays, don't you think? And besides, today I want to spend alone with you. I don't see anything wrong with that, do you?" Riku's voice dropped a little lower as he said the last two words.

"No," She breathed, her lips pressing an innocent kiss under his ear.

"I love you Jessica."

"I love you too Riku."

Sora smiled to himself, sneaking back out of the cave and over to where Kairi stood waiting for him.

"I couldn't find him anywhere. Jessica's missing too, I couldn't find her either." Kairi stated with a sigh. "Did you find either of them?"

"No, I didn't." Sora lied with a small smile. He took Kairi's hand and led her away, saying he wanted to go back to the main island and see a movie with her. As he and Kairi left Sora thoughts wandered back to his two friends hiding together. _Riku and Jessica deserve a little alone time together. This is, after all, a new beginning for the both of them. The beginning of their new life together…

* * *

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**The End

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Well I hoped you liked it. I did, if that means anything. Usually authors like their stories, right? I suppose it is possible to write something and not like it, but I don't think that would be much fun… hmmm…..

Anyways, review please seeing as this is your last chance to review this particular story. Merry early Christmas everyone!!!


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